It’s hard not to think of that iconic Page the Cleaner logo when you think of Edmonton. For a long time, the courteous pageboy smiled down on passersby in Edmonton from many locations. It was the place to go to have business attire cleaned and pressed, wedding dresses preserved, furs stored and overcoats refreshed. With 90 years in the city and the ability to adapt to changing needs and times, Page the Cleaner exemplifies everything that Edmonton’s most stalwart entrepreneurs are known for – excelling, even in the face of great odds.
Holly Jones, CEO, found the look back over Page’s long history to be very interesting.
“Being 90 years old, the earliest days are not well documented,” she shares after pouring over old newspaper clippings, archival footage and collecting stories from locals. “We know that Page changed hands many times, but the brand was formed in 1935 and in that year, there was an actual Mr. Page. We don’t know his first name.”
Mr. Page started the brand by going to the local military base on a motorcycle. He packed up uniforms in the side car, cleaned the uniforms and returned them. The entrepreneur was on the right track. Within a short time he was able to hire his first employee, Alex Starko. In the 1940s, the Starko family bought the brand.
Starko, an avid businessman and builder, founded several companies during his lifetime and even partnered with the Federal Government to develop passenger hovercrafts. He had a lasting impression on Page by developing the iconic logo that still stands today.
Always keen on pushing his ideas further, Starko went to Washington to take a dry cleaning course. He brought the knowledge back to Edmonton, and Page the Cleaner grew rapidly.
“What we saw from the late the 1940s to the 1960s is a ton of expansion,” says Jones. “Seven dry cleaning plants opened and there were more than 200 on staff.”
What came next was the franchise model, which saw Page the Cleaner’s growth and reach expand even further. However, rapid growth had a downside. The company became unstable. The Starko family sold the core of the business, saw it decline, and bought it back. The damage, however, was done – and so were they. The Starkos sold the company again, and it changed hands a few more times before John Rudolph, along with a silent partner, purchased it in 1999.
Many, however, knew of Rudolph for a different reason.
“He came from B.C. in 1981 to take over Alberta Carpet Cleaning, which our family still owns today.”
Rudoph was a lifelong businessman and visionary, even if he didn’t realize it at the tender age of 17 when a high school course tasked him with creating a business plan for a routine assignment.
Jones laughs, “He thought, what would be a good service company with low overhead? A dry cleaning business! Fast forward to the 1980s and he is driving around Edmonton and sees the Page the Cleaner logo. He thinks, ‘Wow. I wish I could have a business like that!’ Nearly 18 years later, Page the Cleaner was up for a fire sale and my dad said, “Here is my high school dream coming true!”
And that, according to Jones, is when things took a turn.
She is very candid about what happened next. This chapter of Page could simply be titled: the struggle.
“Page had its heyday; things had changed in the industry,” says Jones. “Over four decades people went from filling the facilities with stored furs and having suits cleaned and pressed to not wearing fur and embracing business casual. The 2000s turned into a time of survival. We stripped Page down to its roots, transitioned out of the franchise model, and redefined what it means to be a dry cleaner in the new millennium. We found new footing… and then COVID happened.”
As the world shut down, Page was determined not to. It was back to the boardroom for another deep dive.
Page the Cleaner today has two locations, the main plant with its retail counter, and a branch in St. Albert. It also has a new mission that harkens back to its very roots.
“We call it DLT,” says Jones. “Dry cleaning, laundering and tailoring.”
Now, Page provides wet and dry insurance/disaster restoration for textiles; laundering, from picking up and cleaning household laundry to being the go-to place for bulky items like quilts and drapes; and tailoring, which includes restoring heirloom items by hand and preserving important garments like wedding dresses and historical uniforms. While they no longer drive out to the military base on a motorcycle to collect uniforms, the fleet is active at industrial sites and facilities, picking up coveralls and linens.
An example of the care and expertise you will find at Page is seen in a wedding dress they cleaned. As part of a “trash the dress” ceremony on a beach, sand, grit and stains needed to be removed. The dress’ ruffles were carefully taken apart so every speck of sand could be picked out of the seams. In fact, it is not uncommon for Page to disassemble a garment, if necessary, if part of it can be laundered while the other part can only be dry cleaned. Expert tailoring restores the garment, and the client picks it up in better-than-new condition.
The new Page preserves memories, provides convenience and remains a trusted brand for companies that need bulk cleaning of textiles.
“It was a family and a team effort,” Jones is quick to point out. “All five of us siblings have, at some point, worked in the family business (between Alberta Carpet Cleaning and Page the Cleaner). Those who came in to join the family dynamic, such as Dana Ratcliffe who started in operations, are also instrumental in the success of our brands.”
In 2024, Jones, Ratcliffe, Jeremy Rudolph and Matthew Rudolph purchased Page the Cleaner, ushering in a new era of the family business.
Through it all, Page the Cleaner never lost sight of the people it serves, and always gave back to the community, even during years of hardship. In 1992, Page partnered with Coats for Kids & Families, which was managed by the United Way. This year, United Way is passing the torch and Page the Cleaner is excited to step forward and continue the vital service of ensuring Edmonton’s families in need have warm winter wear. Page invites individuals and families to help them continue the mission. Donation and drop off information are on the Page website (pagethecleaner.com/resources/coats-for-kids).
Jones concludes, “I want to say a very big thank you to our leadership team, and to our parents. Dad ran the business and mom made sure we didn’t go out of business. We have such an amazing team who are next level in terms of commitment. Sticking with us as we rebranded our identity and service offerings, and sticking with us through the challenges of COVID is why we changed, grew and thrive. I also thank our past general managers, Hannes Rudolph and Bruce Hogle, as well as our current GM Rupinder Rudolph. They kept us going though some very hard times.”
Edmonton’s commercial roots started with Hudson Bay Company’s fort (Fort Edmonton), which served as a fur trading post. The city has always been in the textile business and as the energy sector came to dominate the landscape, Page the Cleaner continued the link between the city and the garments that shape our daily lives. Now, 90 years later, through countless changes and historical events, Page remains as the brand that is not just part of the fabric of Edmonton but is helmed by the very embodiment of the city’s foundational entrepreneurs.
It’s not just a brand. It’s something more. So, the next time you see the smiling pageboy bowing courteously, smile back; and, if you need a memory preserved or the convenience of outsourcing laundering, do what thousands of Edmontonians have done for nearly a century. Choose Page the Cleaner.
